March 2012

March 21, 2012

Texas guard J’Covan Brown, the Big 12’s leading scorer this season, will bypass his senior season and enter the 2012 NBA draft, the Austin American-Statesman reported tonight. The newspaper cited an unnamed NBA source with knowledge of the decision. Brown, a first-team All-Big 12 performer, averaged 20.1 points per game and led the Longhorns to a 20-14 record, capped by a 65-59 loss to Cincinnati in last week’s opening game of the NCAA Tournament.

March 20, 2012

Former Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray, who led the Aggies to consecutive Cotton Bowl appearances for the first time in four decades in the 1980s, will be one of five individuals inducted into the AT&T Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in April.

Bowl officials announced the 2012 honorees today. The class also includes former Texas linebacker/defensive back Tom Campbell, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, former Brigham Young linebacker Shay Muirbrook and former Arkansas defensive tackle Jim Williams.

The enshrinement ceremony is set for noon on April 19 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Murray, a Dallas native, set a Cotton Bowl passing record _ since broken _ of 292 yards in the 1986 game, when A&M defeated Auburn, 36-16. He led the Aggies back to the Cotton Bowl the next season but A&M fell to Ohio State, 28-12, in the final game of Murray’s career.

Campbell had three interceptions in two career appearances for the Longhorns. His interception with 38 seconds remaining in a 21-17 victory over Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 1970 clinched a national championship for Texas.

March 19, 2012

With the NCAA men's basketball tournament down to the Sweet 16, officials at Bovada Sports Book tweaked the odds today on the remaining teams in the field. Baylor (29-7), the No. 3 seed in the South Regional and the only Texas school remaining in the tournamet, received odds of 15/1 to claim the school’s first NCAA title. The Bears were a 35/1 choice at the start of the 68-team tournament.

Here is a breakdown of odds given the remaining teams in the NCAA field to claim the 2012 title:

March 15, 2012

TCU coach Gary Patterson knows no matter how many times he warns his team to be smart and careful during spring break, somebody is still going to be a knucklehead. It goes with the territory when you're coaching 18-to-22 year old college students. Stuff happens on spring break.Patterson will keep his fingers crossed that none of his players come back hobbling from a spring break-related stunt gone awry. And in the wake of the recent drug scandal that led to four players being cut from the team, Patterson warned his players of the consequences after Thursday's practice at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The team doesn't resume spring drills until March 27."We drug-tested last month and we’ll probably drug-test again when they get back," Patterson said. "People do stupid things like playing beach volleyball and turning their ankle, breaking their leg jumping in three-foot pools."Patterson said many of his players plan on just going home and taking it easy."A lot of our kids can’t afford to go to one of those places," he said, referring to the usual spring break destinations like Padre Island or a beach in Florida. "So they’ll go home, get a chance to see their buddies. They need a break. They’ve been going hard since January. We’ve been pushing them pretty hard."

Baylor center Brittney Griner is one of for finalists for the 2012 Naismith Trophy, given to the women’s college player of the year. Griner, who leads the top-ranked Lady Bears (34-0) in scoring (23.6 avg.), rebounding (9.4 avg.) and blocked shots (5.2 avg.), joins Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike, Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins on the list of finalists announced today.

March 14, 2012

South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy and his wife, Jamie, faced a difficult choice this weekend. Nagy's team plays its opening round game in the NCAA Tournament against Baylor on the same day that two of his sons will be competing in the South Dakota state basketball tournament. One of the sons, Nick, is a senior and could be playing his final HS game.

Nagy said his wife was conflicted about whether she should join her sons at the state tournament or her husband in Albuquerque, N.M. for the NCAA Tournament. Then, Dad intervened.

"I made a decision for her," Nagy said during today's news conference in Albuquerque. "I said, 'You're married to me. You were with me before we had Nick. So I think you should be with me.' Our boys understand that."

Really? Hmmmmmm. Let's just say every family dynamic is different. And leave it at that.

Nagy said he and his wife will be able to watch their sons play via the interent on Thursday, before the Jackrabbits meet Baylor.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. _ Baylor coach Scott Drew said today that the four-guard offense for South Dakota State, the Bears' first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, reminds him most closely of Missouri in terms of teams the Bears (27-7) played this season.

One problem: Baylor was 0-3 against Missouri. One reality check: South Dakota State (27-7) lacks the same physical, inside punch as Missouri to accompany their three-point shooters.

The teams meet at 6:27 p.m. Thursday in The Pit and the Jackrabbits feature four players who are making at least 40.6 percent of their shots from behind the 3-point arc. All four have attempted at least 98 long-range shots this season.

“Playing a team like Missouri might help prepare us a little bit because they shoot the three so well,” Drew said. “They’re just as effective from 23 or 24 feet as they would be on the college line (20 feet, 9 inches).”

Baylor guard Brady Heslip said: “We’re going to have to guard the three-point line better than we’ve guarded it all year.”

Disputing Davis: Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson made it clear he was not thrilled by CBS analyst Seth Davis’ prediction _ uttered during Sunday’s selection show _ that SDSU, a No. 14 seed, would upset third-seeded Baylor in tonight’s first-round contest.

“I really could care less what he had to say,” Jackson said. “I just see it as another person stating an opinion. But he just happened to be on TV. I know me and my teammates are ready to play.”

SDSU coach Scott Nagy said Davis “didn’t help us there” with his high-profile prediction.

“It was a nice thing to say,” Nagy said. “But Baylor doesn’t need any extra incentive to stick it to us.”

Baylor forward Quincy Acy, the lone senior in the Bears’ starting lineup, said his primary motivation stems from the desire to extend his college career as long as possible _ not Davis’ prediction.

Staying selfish: Baylor forward Perry Jones III, the Bears’ leading scorer (14.0) and rebounder (7.7), said he plans to continue the me-first approach on the offensive end that helped him average 21.7 points per game in last week’s Big 12 Tournament. Teammates urged him to be more aggressive in Kansas City and have repeated that request this week.

“So for me to be unselfish, I have to be a little more selfish for the benefit of the team,” Jones said. “That’s what they want me to do.”

Stadium construction: Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said the school’s on-campus football stadium will require 24 months to construct. To open as planned for the 2014 season, the fund-raising stage must be completed by this summer. But he is optimistic about reaching that goal.

Because of momentum created by the Bears’ banner year for sports success, McCaw said: “This probably is the best time in the 167-year history of Baylor (to raise funds).”

March 13, 2012

The family of Baylor graduate Drayton McLane, former owner of the Houston Astros, has made a lead gift to help fund _ and name _ a new, on-campus football facility for the Bears.

The school’s board of regents announced the donation today, calling it the largest capital gift in university history. But the board did not reveal the amount. The gift includes naming rights and the McLane family has asked that the venue be called Baylor Stadium.

The facility will be built along the Brazos River, on a 93-acre tract near Interstate 35. Capacity will be 45,000, with the flexibility to expand to 55,000. Construction will include a bridge crossing the river to connect the stadium to the campus. School officials expect the facility to open for the 2014 season.

McLane, a 1958 Baylor graduate, said his family made the donation “to do something that would shine a light on the university we love, while enhancing student life at Baylor ... This is an incredible time to be a Baylor Bear.”

Baylor is coming of a 10-3 football season, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. The top-ranked Baylor women’s basketball team (34-0) and the men’s team (27-7) begin NCAA Tournament play this week.

March 12, 2012

The Big 12 placed 60 percent of its men’s basketball teams _ six of 10 _ in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the highest percentage of any BCS conference.

But the league did not receive a No. 1 seed despite having more teams finish among the top 10 in RPI rating at the conclusion of the regular season (three) than any league: Missouri (30-4), Kansas (27-6) and Baylor (27-7). Missouri, the No. 2 seed in the West Regional, became the first team from a BCS league to win 30 games and not receive a No. 1 seed.

Add it up, coaches said on today’s Big 12 conference call, and it qualifies as a slap in the face to a league that deserved better.

“Our league as a whole gets disrespected,” said Kansas State coach Frank Martin, whose 21-10 team will be the No. 8 seed in the East Regional. “We should have had a No. 1 seed. That’s a little frustrating.”

Missouri, the Big 12 Tournament champion, was graded down by members of the selection committee because its non-conference schedule strength ranked No. 294 among Division I teams. Tigers’ coach Frank Haith said Monday that he pieced together the best schedule that he could as a first-year coach _ including games against Notre Dame, California, Villanova and Illinois _ but inherited a schedule with few confirmed dates when he took the job in the off-season.

“The CBE Classic (with games against Notre Dame and Cal) was about the only thing in place,” Haith said. “We had to scramble to put the rest of it together. But … we’re fine with a No. 2 seed. We’re moving on.”

Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team received the No. 3 seed in the South Regional, said Missouri and Kansas _ teams that posted a combined 5-1 mark against Baylor _ “both had cases to be No. 1 seeds.”

In the final regular-season RPI ratings, Kansas (No. 6), Baylor (No. 8) and Missouri (No. 10) all were Top 10 inclusions. But neither KU, the league's regular-season champion, or Mizzou, the Big 12 Tournament champ, received a top seed.

“It’s disappointing one of them didn’t get it,” Drew said. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to play and win to advance.”

Kentucky has been installed as the prohibitive favorite to win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But three Big 12 teams rank among the top 11 choices to cut down the nets in New Orleans, according to odds released today by Bovada Sportsbook.

Kansas and Missouri, both No. 2 seeds heading into the tournament, received opening odds of 10-1. Those are the same odds given to Syracuse, the top seed in the East Regional and the No. 1 team in the latest RPI rating.

Baylor, a No. 3 seed, received opening odds of 35-1. Texas, a No. 11 seed, is at 100-1.

Kentucky, the top overall seed in the estimation of the NCAA selection committee, is a 9-4 favorite to take the title, with second-seeded Ohio State at 11-2.